


Resurrections, Bad Blood and Big Mouths

by MondayGirl



Series: Boys, Bats and Building a family [5]
Category: Avengers (Comics), Batman (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Family, Friendship, Gen, Past Child Abuse, offensive language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-11
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-01-15 10:16:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1301272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MondayGirl/pseuds/MondayGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While helping civilians during an attack by Dr Doom Captain America finds a lost boy whose black hair and blue eyes seem strangely familiar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please forgive any mistakes made this is not beta'd, that being said constructive criticism is always welcome.  
> Warning may be rambley and dis jointed as my first chapters usually are.  
> Also thank you Janna for your ideas.

Doom bots, Steve decided were, in fact, the devil. He dodged another projectile and spun around slamming his shield into a bot that came at him from behind. Why Doom was launching an attack in Poland - especially when it was so close to his own Latveria - was unclear. They had only heard about the attack because Natasha had been on a mission nearby and had alerted the rest of the team. it wasn't long before the Fantastic Four appeared and began taking over the fight. Steve didn't appreciate being ordered to leave the remaining bots to them but he was relieved to have a chance to see to the civilians caught up in the mess caused by Doom and his ego. 

Steve checked the positions of his team mates before heading into the nearby tenement that the terrified residents were still fleeing. His Polish was rusty but serviceable enough to tell people to make their way towards the local school which Natasha and Clint were currently securing. He helped an old lady down the crumbling concrete stairs and reunited a crying toddler and his frantic mother while making his way through the dilapidated building. He called out in Polish for any stragglers. Finally on the top floor he was about to make his way out to rejoin the fight and dispatch the last of the bots when he heard a window smashing and the unmistakable sound of a grunt of surprise. He didn't need to bust the door in as the lock was apparently already broken. The bot that he assumed had come through the window was on the floor smoking, a boy stood above it breathing hard with a gash on his forehead bleeding into his eyes. A quick look around the squalid room made it obvious to Steve that this was a squat of some sort, explaining the broken lock. Tearing his gaze from the sagged and soiled mattresses and ratty blankets Steve turned his attention to the boy before him. He swiped at the now heavily flowing blood in his eyes making a frustrated sound as his efforts were unsuccessful. The boy was thin and pale, Steve guessed that the bot had already been damaged and the boy had broken it down in a fluke. He smiled at the boy and spoke in what he hoped was a calming tone asking him if he was ok and his name. The boy looked his way for the first time but gave no response, Steve tried again speaking more slowly, with still no response other than the boy slowly backing up, getting dangerously close to the hole that had been a window. He tried German on the off chance the boy spoke it then again in English. That seemed to grab the kid's attention a little but he still gave no verbal response. Steve was getting more worried about the amount of blood still gushing from the boys head, he reached for the kid hoping to guide him towards the jet where Bruce waited with the medical supplies. The team had decided en route that Bruce should stay in human form until it was known whether Hulk was needed or not. The town was small and with the destruction already caused by Doom, Bruce was reluctant to let Hulk free. 

The boy jerked back violently going into a defensive stance, through the blood he squinted at Steve as if trying to determine his threat level. There was something in that gaze that told Steve that something was not quite right with this kid, he hoped it was just shock and not some sort of brain damage from the head injury. He softened his tone further and held his hands up in a placating manner. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you kid. Come on lets go get that cut seen to." After a few minutes the boy slowly stood straight again and took a couple of shuffling steps towards him. Steve smiled reassuringly and gestured for him to follow, he was careful not to try to touch the boy again. It took him awhile to finally heard the boy from the building, luckily the fighting had practically ceased as they exited. Steve kept a close eye on the boy as they made their way towards the jet, he skirted the local emergency response teams. He wanted to make sure the kid was taken care of properly, something about him seemed familiar somehow.  
Bruce grabbed the jet med kit as soon as he saw Steve approaching with a kid, the boy's face was covered in blood and the neck of his ratty shirt was stained dark with it. He was unsure whether they were supposed to allows civilians on the jet but he couldn't see the harm in this one boy. He could just patch him up then send him on his way. His family were probably worried sick about him. Between himself and Steve it took them at least ten minutes to convince the kid to first enter the jet and then to stay there long enough for Bruce to access the damage done to him. Apart from a largely superficial cut to his forehead which was patched up with one of Tony's hilarious additions to the med kit in the form of a Captain America bandaid, the boy was unharmed the only bruises he sported seemed old and he walked with a slight limp. But no way was Bruce trying to get this boy undressed to take a look at the cause of it. While cleaning the boy up it became apparent that something was not quite right with him. But Bruce was no expert in developmental disorders or brain damage, as he had to keep reminding Tony he was not that kind of doctor.

Steve sat beside the boy as Bruce gently cleaned the blood from his face and applied the ridiculous bandaid with an apologetic look his way. After an initial struggle the boy seemed to become calmer as Bruce talked soothingly to him explaining everything he did as he worked. When he was finished Bruce smiled reassuringly at the boy before motioning for Steve to join a little away from the seats they had used as a treatment area. He spoke in a low tone, "he's basically okay, a little blood loss and definitely a concussion aside from that there's some obvious malnutrition and, well, does he seem a little...?" Bruce pursed his lips obviously searching for a word and Steve realised what he was getting at. "You think he's retarded? Or slow? Because..." He trailed off at the look on Bruce's face. He'd done it again. He gave a sheepish look to the doctor who smiled back understanding. "It's ok Steve, we tend to use the term learning difficulties or cognitive impairment now." Steve nodded, this was why he liked Bruce the man was able to correct him without talking down to him or making him feel like a complete schmuck. "Right, thanks. I think he understands English, I tried a couple of languages and that was the only one he really responded to. I noticed the scars around his wrists, looks like he's been tied up for quite a while at some point. I thought maybe he'd been trafficked or something. From Britain maybe or possibly America. I heard about a guy in Germany from a SHIELD agent who is suspected to be up to something involving child trafficking." Bruce nodded gravely a greenish tinge coloured his eyes briefly before he spoke. "Should we hand him over to the local authorities?" Steve looked back at the boy, again feeling that he had seen him somewhere before. A missing person poster perhaps? He wasn't sure but he did know that he didn't feel comfortable just leaving the boy here. "No, I think we should bring him with us. We can probably find out who he is quicker than the cops here. And if he is an American he'd be coming home anyway. If not we can always return him to his home." Bruce agreed as if he hadn't expected any different. 

There was a whooshing sound and a loud thump outside the jet followed by the sound of laughter, The others had returned. 

Tony was the first to enter complaining loudly, "Of course that's why Doom's acting up! That's why everyone who likes to fuck with the Fantastic Four do anything, they all want to bang Sue Storm. Not that I can blame them but it's getting pretty ridiculous now." He caught sight of the boy "Oh who's this? Taking in strays Cap? I thought that was Barton's thing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this has taken. Just a short update for now but real life has calmed down a little now so hopefully I can get back into the swing of writing and updating. Thanks for reading! And thank you to those who have commented!! :)

Chapter Two  
The boy sat rigid in the seat Steve had guided him to, he hadn't seemed to be bothered by actual flying part of being in the jet but, when Steve had leaned over to check his belt was still tight enough he tensed up immediately sending an accusing look the Captain's way. Steve tried not to let his anger at the way this boy had obviously been treated show in his face. The last thing he wanted was to scare the poor kid even more. He gave the belt a gentle tug before slowly sitting back in his own seat smiling slightly at the boy. 

The kid hadn't said one word the whole flight which was enough for Tony to understand something was obviously wrong with him other than his bruised face and scraped hands. As soon as they got back he was going to take the kid and Bruce down to his lab and start running brain scans. He might not be a doctor but his tech could repair anything. And what was the brain? Just another machine that he could fix, so why shouldn't he? It'd be fun, and besides capsicle had taken a liking to the boy. Tony didn't like disappointing national treasures. He was thwarted in his doctoring attempts however by Barton of all people. He had been ushering the boy off of the jet and towards the elevator calling over his shoulder for Bruce to meet them in the lab when the archer had blocked his way. "Why don't you let the kid get something to eat before you start poking at him."

Tony's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and Clint realised he hadn't even noticed the look in boys eyes as Thor had scoffed down two power bars during the flight. The kid was starving, anyone could see that even if Banner hadn't already told them he was malnourished. He laid a hesitant hand on the boys shoulder, his flinch made Clint cringe. It brought back memories of a different boy who used to flinch from loud voices and hard hands. He shook off the cloud those memories brought with them and lead the boy towards their communal kitchen. He sat the boy at the counter and was relieved to find that only Banner had followed them from the helipad. That relief was then followed by the sinking feeling that perhaps the Doctor had followed him to tell him not to interfere in things he knew nothing about. Banner just smiled at him though and made his way over to fridge. "Thanks for that, sometimes I hate always having to be the one to try and corral Tony, he always looks so betrayed when I keep him from the lab." The older man gave a dry chuckle as he pulled out a container of left over soup.

"Better give him something light, when someone hasn't eaten in a while they can get sick if they eat too much." Clint already knew that from experience but he didn't tell the doc that, he just nodded and pulled out a bowl before filling a glass of water and setting it in front of the kid. He had been watching the two and glanced between them before chugging the whole glass. Well, at least he knew the basics thought Clint, even if he did spill a quarter of it down his chin and shirt. Without thinking Clint grabbed the dish towel and reached over to wipe his chin. He was surprised when the boy just let him do it. Huh, he must have enough mental capacity to realise when someone isn't a threat. Or maybe he remembered that Clint hadn't hurt him when he lead him by the shoulder and figured he wouldn't do it now.  
As the boy gulped down the hot soup Clint studied his face, he seemed familiar somehow but with his face as messed up as it was it was hard to tell. Clint was sure that once the swelling went down they'd be able to id the kid.

Rather than follow Clint and Bruce to the kitchen with the kid Steve Tony to his lab. Tony was muttering about scans and machines and data bases, Steve caught up with him and stopped him at the entrance to the lab. "Hey Stark, I'm glad you want to help the poor kid I do too. But, Stark, Tony just remember he's a living breathing boy not an experiment." Tony quirked an eyebrow at him and entered the code to gain access to the lab, leaving the door open for Steve to follow. "Look, cap. I'm not completely clueless y'know, I just want to help the kid. I want to find out who he is and get him back to his family, if he has one. And if I can I want to heal whatever damage has been done to him. That good enough for you capsicle?" Steve nodded his approval and bid the older man good night before going to try and find the boy and the others.

In the back of his mind there was still a niggling feeling that he knew the battered kid, perhaps it was the dark hair or the piercing blue eyes. But, he put Steve in mind of another boy he had met more than two years ago now. That boy was dead now though, caught up in his guardians world of privilege. Steve took a deep breath trying to calm himself as he remembered hearing about the boy's kidnapping and ransoming on the news. He felt especially bad as he had never had a chance to reconcile with Jason or the others boys after he had accused Mr Wayne of abusing them. No this boy was not Jason, his resemblance to him was merely coincidental and once the swelling in his face went down and his features were more distinguishable Steve was sure he would wonder how he ever thought the boy looked anything like Jason Wayne.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi thank you so much for all of the comments and KUDOS. Also sorry for how long this fic has been dormant, this is just a small update but hopefully I will be able to update regularly soon as rl has calmed down some now. I make no promises though as I will be traveling for a month as of next week.

The flashlight rolled across the lab floor and Bruce sighed as he once again bent to retrieve it. The kid was just sat there, no expression on his face. It was almost as if no one was home behind those blue eyes, however when Bruce had tried to shine a light in them the boy's hand had come up to bat it away. "Ok buddy, fine, I get it. No more lights." He turned away trying to determine the best way to go about his next task. The blood test. So far the boy had been mostly compliant with the tests, excepting the eye exam. Bruce doubted that the blood test would be met with the same calm. He took a breath, picked up the kit and tried to arrange his face into some semblance of a reassuring smile. Surprisingly the kid had no problem letting Bruce take a blood sample, perhaps it was because Bruce had been careful to explain his every move, perhaps it was because the boy had not felt the needle go in. Either way, he was pleased that the outburst he had expected had not been forthcoming.

The CAT scan however proved to be a completely different case.

"Has he calmed down any?" Steve jumped as he closed the guest room door, Banner really did know how to sneak up on a guy. They walked towards the common area together as Steve assured the doctor the boy was alright, well as alright as he could be.

" Once we got him away from the machine and he realised we weren't going to make him get back in it he was fine, well y'know not fine but he stopped shaking and screaming. I just helped him into bed and left a light on. I wasn't sure if the dark would set him off as well." They stopped in the doorway to the living room and Bruce cleaned his glasses on the hem of his wrinkled shirt.

"Yes, well- thank you for calming him down. I- well- I panicked a little when the screaming started. He sounded so scared and when I thought how maybe he could have been...well, I got...angry." Banner gave an awkward little laugh, pushed his glasses back up his nose and started into the room as Steve tried not to be too obvious about trying to determine if his skin looked just a tad greener than usual.

 

(Wayne Manner)

Bruce managed to tear his gaze away from the case holding Jason's suit and tried to pretend he was finding the sober life easier than he was. He had to push away his grief, even after two years the loss of Jason haunted him. Some days he felt as if the only thing that kept him from giving up and drinking himself to death was his children, and Gotham of course. The city gave him a purpose and now she needed him more than ever, if the villains that hid in her dark alley ways could murder even a Robin. Yes, the city needed him. He took a gulp of the cold coffee and scrubbed a hand through his hair. His gritty eyes and burgeoning headache told him it was time he finally retired to bed. Just five more minutes reviewing his files and he'd go up.

Alfred sighed as he removed the mug from his employers dangling hand and noted the puddle of congealed coffee on the floor. "Come along Master Bruce, it's time for bed."

 

(Avengers Tower)

It couldn't be true. He was dead, had been for years now. This boy couldn't possibly be him. And yet, there it was on the screen before him. Tony rubbed his aching eyes and ran the facial recognition program again. The same result as before. On one half of the screen blues eyes stared blankly out at him whilst the other showed the same face but laughing, the same eyes sparkling with mischief.

There was no denying it.

Jason Todd Wayne was alive and currently asleep in one of his guest rooms.

Cap was going flip his shit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Here's an update. Thanks so much for the comments and kudos. This is probably riddled with continuity and grammar errors but at least its here right????

"I should have known, how could I not recognise him?" Steve slumped on the couch head cradled in his hands. Sam Wilson sighed, it was never a happy surprise to find Steve Rogers on his doorstep. 

"Steve, man, the last time you saw this kid he was fifteen and probably not covered in blood and having trouble functioning. And isn't he supposed to be dead? Man, you're a lot of things but I'm pretty sure you are not psychic." Steve chuffed a rather wet sounding laugh and took a shaky sip of his tea. "He would still be stuck in eastern Europe injured and on his own if it wasn't for you Steve, even before you knew who he was you did your best for him like you would for any kid. Whatever happened with the Wayne's before, in this situation? You are in no way to blame".

"What am I going to do Sam? What about his family? God, they all think he's dead, his dad thinks he's dead. Could I email him? Maybe Pepper could call..." Sam swirled the remnants of his own tea and looked at his friend, "I know, I know Sam. Shit. Do you think I'll need my suit in Gotham."  
"Dude, you're gonna need a lot more than that in Gotham". 

 

*****  
Clint watched as the kid clutched the bowl of popcorn to his chest and shovelled it into his mouth as if his life depended on it. He didn't judge, hell he'd been there himself more times than he cared to remember. Although no way could he put away that much popcorn, even the smell of it made him both a little nauseas and a little nostalgic.  
Clint's not sure that the kid, shit -Jason - is actually taking in any of the cartoon that Clint had picked for their viewing pleasure but at least he seemed relaxed at the moment. And even if Jason wasn't in a state to be appreciating some classic Scooby Doo, Thor was certainly enjoying it from his position on the other couch, although Banner certainly didn't seem to be enjoying the thorough back slapping he received every time Thor laughed at the show. "Haha my friends, do you see how the dog makes play he is human?" The booming laugh even made Clint flinch a little and turn down his aides a touch. 

A noise from Jason pulled Clint out of his thoughts, the bowl was empty. "You want a refill there Jay?" They had been trying to use his name as much as possible but the kid didn't seem to respond to that anymore than he did to anything else directed at him. He got a blank stare in response but Jason didn't freak out when Clint took the bowl to refill it so he counted that as a win. "Cool I'll get you a shake too yeah?" Still no response but Clint still got the protein shake mix out, Jason seemed to like the strawberry flavour. 

 

******

Alfred Pennyworth regarded his youngest charge with the sternest expression he could muster, "Master Damien, I know you often find the idea of housework baffling but if you could manage to try to clean up after the strays you bring home I would be eternally grateful."

"Tt, I have tried Pennyworth but Colin does insist on making such a mess, I am working on house training him." The butler raised an eyebrow at his youngest charge and gave a kind smile to his red haired companion who sat beside him at the breakfast table.

"I was not referring to master Colin. Cows are not indoor animals, and-" 

The young boy shot up from his chair. "It is too cold for Bat cow to be outside, he has been through enough! I won't-" Damien Wayne was cut off by the door bell. Alfred gave a look that promised further conversation and turned on his heel to answer the door. 

As long time butler, nursemaid, chief child wrangler, shoulder to cry on and wound stitcher upper to the Wayne family Alfred Pennyworth was known to all who met him as the sole of discretion, the kindest man you would ever meet and of course the master of politeness and propriety. On this occasion however the man who had hesitantly approached the imposing Wayne manor would not be able to reconcile such a reputation with the man who coldly surveyed him from the doorway. 

"May I help you, Sir?" Alfred could hardly keep the sneer of disdain out of his voice. He recognised this man immediately. He had been the cause of much upset after his family's trip to New York. Alfred regretted that he had not been able to go with them he would have given anyone who would accuse master Bruce of deliberately hurting his boys a piece of his mind.

Steve felt almost as if he had been transported back in time to the winter he and Bucky had gone uptown to shovel driveways, the ladies and butlers who had answered the door or given him a nickel afterwards had looked at him and his newspaper filled shoes in a similar way. Back then it had made him feel small and insignificant as well as angry. Now, he still felt echoes of those feelings just like he did anytime he was dragged to one of Tony's fancy parties but mostly he just felt the pit of anxiety sink a little further in his stomach. As the older man continued to look at him expectantly Steve tried to remember he was Captain America, a decorated war veteran and a grown man. "Hi." Great start Steve, he thought ruefully as the butler arched an eyebrow.

"Hello." If it was possible the man's eyebrow raised even higher. Steve tried to remember the speech he had rehearsed on the jet but his mind had gone blank. 

"Do you have business with Mr Wayne or has the esteemed Captain America been reduced to performing door to door? If so, I must say I did rather prefer the show when you were accompanied by a dance troop."

Steve cleared his throat and tried to force some semblance of a smile on his face, jeez either this guy was having a spectacularly bad day or Steve had really pissed him off at some point. "Uh, yeah sorry. Is Mr Wayne in? I have something very important to discuss with him." 

"I shall find out if Mr Wayne is at home to visitors." and with that the door was unceremoniously slammed in his face. Well at least the man hadn't directed him to the tradesman's entrance.

Alfred took a steadying breath and turned only to find Dick stood at the top of the large staircase a grin threatening to break out.   
"What's up Alfred? Trick or treaters showing up too early again? Girl scouts pushing their cookies too aggressively?."

Alfred nodded and smiled briefly at the lad before making his way to the office to tell master Bruce about their unexpected visitor.


End file.
